Avaliação das respostas fisiológicas e adaptativas de ovelhas soinga criadas no Cariri Cearense

Environmental stress significantly interferes with the genetic expression of animals, af-fecting both productivity and reproduction. The aim of this study was to evaluate the physiological parameters of Soinga sheep under environmental conditions in the Cariri region of Ceará, Brazil. The experiment was conducted at Fazenda Novo Horizonte, lo-cated in the municipality of Santana do Cariri, in the southern mesoregion and Cariri microregion of the state of Ceará. Initially, 25 females and 1 male (laterincluding their offspring) of the Soinga breed were selected. The females were arranged in a completely randomized design with split plots over time. During the experimental period, data collec-tions were carried out every 15 days at 9:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. Environmental variables such as black globe temperature in the sun and shade, maximum, minimum and average ambient temperature, and relative humidity were recorded using a thermohygrometer. Regarding physiological parameters, heart and respiratory rates were measured using a clinical stethoscope and by visualizing thoracoabdominal movements with a stopwatch for one minute, respectively. Rectal and vaginal temperatures were measured using a ve-terinary clinical thermometer inserted into the rectum and vagina for two minutes each. A thermal imaging camera was used to measure surface body temperature, recorded in degrees Celsius (°C). The variables were subjected to tests for homogeneity of variance and normality of errors, followed by analysis of variance, and the means were compared using Tukey’s test. Air temperature values across different periods showed a minimum average of 25.23 °C in the rainy season during the morning and a maximum average of 39.56 °C in the dry season during the afternoon. Respiratory rate, heart rate, and rectal temperature remained within normal physiological ranges. A high correlation was obser-ved between rectal temperature (RT) and vaginal temperature (VT).